Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of 72 and 189
The greatest common divisor (GCD) of 72 and 189 is 9.
What is the Greatest Common Divisor (GCD)?
The GCD of two integers is the largest positive integer that divides both numbers without leaving a remainder. It is useful in simplifying fractions, finding common factors, and in number theory.
How to Calculate the GCD of 72 and 189?
We use the Euclidean algorithm, which involves the following steps:
- Divide the larger number by the smaller number.
- Replace the larger number with the smaller number and the smaller number with the remainder from the division.
- Repeat this process until the remainder is zero.
- The non-zero remainder just before zero is the GCD.
Step-by-Step Euclidean Algorithm
| Step | Calculation |
|---|---|
| 1 | 72 ÷ 189 = 0 remainder 72 |
| 2 | 189 ÷ 72 = 2 remainder 45 |
| 3 | 72 ÷ 45 = 1 remainder 27 |
| 4 | 45 ÷ 27 = 1 remainder 18 |
| 5 | 27 ÷ 18 = 1 remainder 9 |
| 6 | 18 ÷ 9 = 2 remainder 0 |
Examples of GCD Calculations
| Numbers | GCD |
|---|---|
| 32 and 30 | 2 |
| 37 and 167 | 1 |
| 11 and 122 | 1 |
| 149 and 88 | 1 |
| 36 and 31 | 1 |